


Focus

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aftercare, Anxiety, Blindfolds, Derek Hale Takes Care of Stiles Stilinski, Derek is a Good Boyfriend, Dom Derek, Dom/sub, M/M, Praise Kink, Sensory Deprivation, Sub Stiles, mentions of dom!Stiles/sub!Derek, nothing sexual takes place, subbing as a coping mechanism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 09:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9065167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Power dynamics had been a part of their romantic relationship since the beginning, usually it's Stiles who's in control, but there are times when his anxiety is at it's peak and he feels the world caving in around him when he just needs Derek's help to focus





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm such a huge fan of dom!Stiles/sub!Derek... but that doesn't mean I don't like the reverse too, and I think when it comes to his anxiety, Stiles could really use someone to take the reins and help him breathe again he needs someone to take care of him and get him in a place where he can relax and breathe again- and that someone is obviously Derek

"Focus,"

The word comes out smooth, quiet, and firm

"Focus only on me,"

Steady, light, strict

"Focus only on the sound of my voice,"

Demanding, easy, _controlled_

And Stiles couldn't help but try to tune in

He tried, but he just... _couldn't_ entirely

He never could, and that was the problem, and that was exactly why they were doing this to begin with

One hand lights on his thigh, the other on the back of his head, and all of a sudden it's easier

"Stiles, focus,"

He lets out a breath, one that had been pent up for far, far too long, and he falls relaxed at the touch and the tone

Absently, he hears the steady clicking of the metronome start, drawing him in, catching his attention, forcing him to wonder where Derek even came up with this ridiculous idea to begin with

And then there's a squeeze to his thigh and his attention is back where it should be, though, this time it's divided

"Focus,"

He takes a breath, turns his hand palm up, and Derek loyally moves the hand off of his thigh and places it in Stiles' own, letting him squeeze and squeeze and squeeze until any human probably would have yelped in pain

But Derek was quiet and steady and the clicking of the metronome was starting to fade into another peice of the background, keeping the silence from being deafening without providing as much of a distraction as it probably would have to anyone else

"Are you focused?"

He isn't quite yet, but he's starting to be

He resists the urge to shake his head, speaking up in it's place

"Almost,"

The hand on the back of his neck squeezed and he went jelly soft, the hand holding Derek's loosening again

"Is that how you answer me?"

"No Sir,"

"Are you focused?"

"No Sir,"

He hears a slight shuffling around, but Derek's hands don't move, instead he feels something bump against his legs, the hand on the back of his neck shifting just enough to move more to the side

"Are you focused now?"

Derek's voice is softer, an octave lower, and it's enticing and hypnotizing and the clicking of the metronome has faded out completely

And all there is in life is Derek and that's exactly where he needs to be

"Yes Sir," he slurs out in a breath

"Good boy," the wolf adds softly, his grip loosening from a firm, tight hold into a gentle reminder

"Would you like me to talk to you, or stay silent?"

"Talk.. please..."

Derek doesn't press for "Sir"- he never does, not unless he knows Stiles needs him to, but Stiles doesn't need to be pressed for anything right now, he's finally calm, he's finally FOCUSED, and the more Derek makes him think, the more that soft quiet place is going to get interrupted

So, as per this arrangement, Derek thinks for him

"I read your notes about music theory earlier, they were really good, made me think, you always make me think, push me to think more," he begins

It's a mundane, unimportant subject, and Stiles can relax in the lack of depth to it, let Derek talk quietly, softly, about some ridiculous something about music and ice skating that Stiles wasn't going to push himself to remember

And at a point, probably two or three sentences in, he starts to drown out Derek's voice, the sound becoming nothing more than a gentle repeating hum like the metronome that keeps him from being driven insane with silence but also keeps him from paying attention to anything

He's focused alright

He's focused on nothing at all, and that's exactly what he needs

His and Derek's relationship is special, on probably about six thousand different levels but....

But this is his favorite

The understanding

The pure, mutual, complete understanding of what the other wants or needs or feels at any given time and how best to respond to it

They had started tinkering with powerplay dynamics considerably early in their romantic relationship, starting slow, light, just as a light kink really, but it slowly started to progress more and more until it was as much a staple of who they were together as a wolf and his emissary were

And the best part, atleast in Stiles' opinion, was that they weren't weighed down by any set roles

Alot of times Stiles was in control, he liked the sensation, being able to make the choices, not being told what to do or being held back or doubted, he liked the TRUST, the ultimate kind of trust that had Derek tied up and blindfolded and waiting so calmly that Stiles at times wondered if he had fallen asleep

The kind of trust no one else ever gave him no matter how deeply he craved it

And Derek liked the submission, he liked being able to give himself to Stiles and let him make the decisions, let him control, let him choose, there were so many less opportunities to screw up that way, if he just gave in and let Stiles do what he did best and all he had to worry about in the entire world was following Stiles' instructions and pleasing him...

He could _do_ that

They worked in beautifully constructed harmony that way

But that was only part of their relationship

There were times, like now, when they needed to reverse it

Stiles' head was loud, unforgiving and screaming, and dominating quieted it into a soft hum but sometimes he just couldn't get himself in the space to do that to begin with

Sometimes he needed a guide, a teacher, and Derek, to his credit, liked filling in a mentor role

Derek needed to be needed just as much as Stiles did, he needed to have that trust, to know that he was holding something fragile in his hands and he could HELP it- he could help Stiles- and not break this fragile thing, not RUIN him

And if there was one thing Derek was best at, it was getting Stiles out of his head, shutting down the loud, screaming noise and forcing him to breathe, to let go, to _focus_

"Stiles?"

The slightly higher pitch of Derek's voice pulled his attention, it made him want to open his eyes before he remembered the blindfold over them

That had been nice though, the emptiness in his head, the purity of the virtual silence

But he knew it couldn't last and Derek always had ulterior motives to these things

He could never just let Stiles float and then toss him back out to the wolves- so to speak- to be eaten up with anxiety again

Derek gave Stiles what he wanted- the quiet- but then he gave Stiles what he NEEDED

Even if Stiles didn't necessarily enjoy it

"Can you hear me?"

Voice still soft, quiet and gentle, and Stiles couldn't find his own, he was still in a gentle lull of stasis, not having to move or speak or think, just having to breathe, to exist

And now having to listen

So he gave his head a tiny nod, and Derek carefully shifted his hand off of the back of Stiles' neck, removing part of the grounding he had established only to place both hands over his and squeeze- another pull for attention

Stiles was still in that lull of quiet, but he wasn't so deep that he had tuned Derek out now, and that was exactly where he needed to be

"Stiles, I need you to listen to me, can you do that?"

A nod

"Good, good boy,"

Typically, they subbed for different reasons- Derek to have his choices removed, and Stiles to be free from anxiety and find quiet in his head- but they both needed to hear the word _good_

It was one of the best sensations Stiles could ever describe, knowing that, even in this tiny, insignificant way, he had done something right

"Stiles, you have done enough, ok? I know you're worried about holidays, I know you feel .... inadequate... but you have done MORE than enough, do you understand?"

Another nod

If Stiles was still fully there, he would have argued, never would have let the thought into his head that any of his preparations or gifts or anything was ever close to enough, no matter how much he did, that was anxiety and perfectionism at their finest- nothing was ever enough

But like this, where those voices were finally quiet and he had nothing else to bother him, all he could hear was Derek's assurances that it was

And in some, maybe small, way- that sunk in

"I know you're worried about Scott's exam scores, but that is not your place, and you can't do anything about it, you need to stop worrying- there's nothing you can do, and it isn't your place to worry about, you can't change it, so you need to let it go,"

Scott was anxious about his midterms, and that made Stiles anxious about them too, even though he knew logically that there was nothing he could do, he couldn't help emotionally feeling as upset at the thought of a bad score as Scott did

"Your attention, your FOCUS, should be on ME- **only. me.** , only what I give you permission to focus on, only what I give you permission to worry about, your job is to be MY emissary, MY boyfreind, MY submissive, I am the only person in the world you need to please,"

He shifted again, placing a hand back on Stiles' neck and rubbing soothingly

"And you HAVE been pleasing me Stiles, you've been doing so well, you're doing wonderfully, your magic, your job, your relationships... everything has been done WONDERFULLY, if you let yourself worry about these other things, that will ruin all of what you've built, don't let that nasty worry-bug sabotage you, you don't deserve that, you deserve to feel how good you've been, you're making me happy Stiles, do you understand?"

Another nod, smaller this time, the words absorbed like water in a sponge

"Good, good boy, are you feeling better?"

It was much easier to move than it was to speak, because speaking...

Speaking created sound and it brought back the loudness and Stiles wanted to just enjoy this a little longer

He had always talked- over talked really- in a desperate hope to drown out the noise in his head, thinking if he talked loud enough or long enough it would get quiet

It never did

So when he was like this, when things were quiet, he didn't need to speak

He nodded once more, feeling Derek's hand shift from his neck to cup his cheek

"Good, good boy, can I bring you out now?"

One more nod, and Derek gently helped him stand up from the couch, one hand on his back, the other holding his hand as he guided him to the bathroom

The best way he found to bring Stiles out safely was with slowly reintroducing stimulants, usually a warm bath worked best, the sound of the running water would keep his mind quiet and with no light in the bathroom other than a few candles he could take the blindfold off without causing him too much distress

It was soft and easy and still left Stiles with a lingering, pliant feeling that had him calm quite a wile after it was all over

Derek paused, moving to turn the water on in the bath and gently starting to undress his boyfreind- avoiding the blindfold for now

He gave him a soft kiss, pulling his shirt carefully over his head, letting his hands draw down his chest, holding his hips and pressing a few kisses down his neck

They always indulged after moments like these, but Stiles could hear the bath filling up and he knew that he needed Derek to turn the water off soon- lest they flood the house- and this softness... it would last a wile, more than enough time for Derek to turn the water off before continuing

"Derek," he breathed, pulling Derek's attention back to the present

_"Focus,"_


End file.
